Warm scallop salad is topped with carrot-ginger dressing that would also be good on chicken and other salads. / Matthew Mead/AP

Written by

Sara Moulton

Associated Press

Scallops are the perfect summertime food — light, yet filling, flavorful, but also versatile enough to pair with all sorts of foods. In this case, with salad.

I call for sea scallops here, which are available all summer long. But make sure to confirm that the bivalves in question are “dry” scallops or “day boat” scallops. Both terms guarantee that the scallops were harvested and brought right to market. Too often scallops are harvested at sea, shucked and tossed into a wet solution containing phosphates, where they sit for days before making it to market.

For this recipe, I dip the scallops in flour before they’re sauteed to give them a little crunch. If you can find Wondra flour at the supermarket, grab it on sight and keep it in the cupboard for recipes like this. It is a low-protein flour that has been treated (precooked) so it dissolves instantly in water without lumping up. The side benefit of Wondra is that it provides a nice little crunch you wouldn’t get if you coated your scallops with all-purpose flour.

This salad sports my version of the carrot-ginger dressing that’s standard at Japanese restaurants, which I’ve always found to be a delicious and refreshing change from oil and vinegar.

If you’re not a fan of scallops, you can always swap in shrimp, chicken, pork or even tofu. Consider this recipe a template for dozens of variations.

Warm scallop salad with carrot-ginger dressing

The dressing will make about 1 1/4 cups, but this salad will need only about ½ cup. Refrigerate the rest for use on grilled chicken, fish, pork or grilled vegetables.

Start to finish: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

1 cup chopped carrot

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

4 scallions, sliced, white and green parts kept separate

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 to 4 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

¼ cup, plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided

¼ cup water

1 pound sea scallops, tough muscle discarded and scallops patted dry

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Kosher salt and ground black pepper

½ cup Wondra flour (or all-purpose)

6 cups arugula

2 cups chopped cucumber

1 mango (or 2 peaches or nectarines), peeled, pitted and chopped

½ cup toasted peanuts

In a blender, combine the carrot, ginger, white parts of the scallions, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, ¼ cup of the vegetable oil and the water. Puree until very smooth. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper, dip them lightly in the flour, coating them on both sides and shaking off the excess, then add them to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the scallops until they are just cooked through, about 2 to 4 minutes per side (depending on the size of the scallops).

Divide the arugula, cucumbers and mango among 4 salad bowls. Top the salads with the scallops, scallion greens and peanuts, then drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing over each salad. Serve right away.